Brace and anchor for posts.



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PATENTBD FEB. 1o, 1903;

J. H. HARBOLD. I BRAGE AND ANCHOR POR POSTS.

APPLICATION FILED APB. 28. 1902.

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`J. H. HARBOLD.

BRAGE AND ANCHOR FOR POSTS.

APPLIOATION FILED un. 2s. 1902.

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UNITED :STATES PATENT OFFICE).

JOHN HENRY HARBOLD, MARSHALL, MISSOURI.

BRACE AND ANCHOR FOR POSTS.

i SPECIFICATIGN forming part of Letters Patent N o. 720,025, datedFebruary 10, 1903.

Application inea .ipiii` ze, 1902.

To @ZZ whom t may conccrmi Be it known that I, JOHN HENRY HARBOLD,

a citizen of theUnited States,residing at Marshall, in the county ofSaline and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful. Brace andAnchor for Posts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improved brace and anchor for fence-posts and thelike; and it consists in the peculiar construction and combination ofdevices hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,Figure 1 is a perspective view of afence-post provided with an improved brace and anchoring devicesembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective `view showing theupper portion of a fence-post and my improved brace rope or cableattached theretoin another manner. Fig. 3 is a detail elevation of oneof the anchor-bars, showing the rear or outer side thereof and showingthe anchor-rod attached thereto. Fig. 4 is a `detail perspective view ofone of the anchor-rods. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing one end ofthebrace rope or cable attached to one end'of one of the tightening-rods.Fig. 6 is a detail view of a modification. Fig. '7 is a detail view,being a horizontal section through the corner-post and showing a blockin the angle thereof and cross-bars secured to said block. Fig. 8 is anelevation of a portion of a fence embodying my improved bracing andanchoring devices and havinga gateway. Fig. 9 is a detail view, showinga modification in the construction of the anchor-rods.

In the embodiment of my invention here shown the fence-post 1 ismade ofangle iron or steel, having its faces or sides 2 disposed at an angle,preferably at right angles, Wit-h relation to each other and providednear their outer edges with openings 3, through which the fence-wiresmay be passed and by means of which the fence-wires may be attached tothe post. At and near the base of the post where the same is buriedbeneath the surface of thev ground are crossed bars 4, which are hereshown as bolted to the angled sides of the post, as at 5. Said crossedbars serve to retain the base of the `post rmly in the ground andcounteract any tendency of the semi No. 105,077. (No model.)

post to turn in response to the stress or pull of the fence-wires. Thepost is formed at a 4suitable distance from its upper end with a Ineck6, which is semi-annular in form and is concavo-convex in transversesection, with its concave side outermost.

My improved brace comprises a rope or cable 7, one or Vmoretightening-rods 8, and one `ora plurality of anchoring devices. Thebrace-rope 7 is preferably made of Wires twisted together and is formedwith loops 7 at its ends. Each tightening-rod 8 comprises an uppersection 8a, a lower section 8b, and

a turnbuckle 8C, which connects their reversely-screwthreaded opposingends together. The section 8b of each tightening-rod isformed with ahead or enlargement 10 at its lower end, the said section 8b beingadapted to be passed through an eye or ring 1l, formed in an anchor-rod9, so that the head or enlargement 10 will engage said eye or ring 11,and hence connect the section 8b to the 'anchor-rod. The anchor-rods 9,which are approximately V-shaped, are here shown as doubled, twistedtogether, as at 13, formed integrally with the rings or eyes 1l, and ashaving their ends, which are somewhat spaced apart, provided withopenings 14 for the reception of keys 15. The ends of the anchor-rodsare passed through openings in anchor-bars 16, and the keysbeing then inserted'in the openings 14 the anchor-rods are thus attachedto the anchor-bars, as will be understood. The anchor-bars are thenappropriately buried in the ground. In Fig. 3

I show washers 17 on the rear or outer side of an anchor-bar interposedbetween the same and the keys.

nThe brace-rope is shown in Fig. l, in which there are anchoring devicesshown disposed opposite two sides of` the post, as having its centralportion passed around the neck 6 of Athe post, crossed, as at 18, andthe crossed portions of the brace-rope passed through IOCtightening-rods are attached to the bracerope. of the turnbuckle 8*3 therods 8, and hence the brace-rope, may be tightened to'any desiredextent. The neck 6, formed in the post, prevents abrasion of and injuryto the brace-rope.

Where only one anchoring device is employed opposite one side of thepost, asin Fig. 2, the thimble 19 is dispensed with, and one end of thebrace-rope is passed around the neck 6 of the post, the brace-ropebeingpassed through one of its loops 7a, as shown, thereby forming a bight orloop in the brace-rope to engage the neck portion of the post.

It will be understood that by the provision of the openings 14 in theanchor-rods and the keys to enter the said openings the anchorrods maybe securely connected to the auchor-bars and that corrosion will notmaterially interfere with the separation of the parts.

In Fig. 6 I show a modified construction of the section 8 of thetightening-rod, in which the same is provided with a substantially T-shaped head 8d, with downturned hooks Se, adapted to engage one of theloops of the brace-rope.

lInstead of having the bars 4 bolted directly to the sides of the post,as shown in Fig. 1 and hereinbefore described, a rectangular block 21may be placed in the angle between the sides of the post, as shown inFig. 7, and the bars '4 secured to the outer` sides of said block bybolts 22, which pass through said bars, block, and the sides of thepost, said bolts hence also serving to secure the block to the post. Thecrossed bars being thus placed on the sides of the post facing the linesof the fence, the tension of the running wires or fabric of the fencecauses the stress to be communicated from the lower portion of the postdirectly to the crossed bars, and no stress is exerted on the boltswhich connect the post, block, and bars together.

In Fig. S of the drawings I show a portion of a fence including agateway and provided with my improved anchoring and bracing devices. Thegate-posts 23 have their upper ends connected to the upper ends of thecontiguous line-posts 24 by brace-bars 25, which may be of any suitablesize and material and may be either bolted to the gate and line posts,as here shown, or secured thereto by any other suitable means or in anysuitable manner. The running-'wires a of the fencelne are here shown asextending from the line-posts 24E to the gate-posts. The lower portionsof the said posts, which are below the ground, have cross-bars 4,secured to their inner sides and disposed at right angles to thefence-line. One or more of said bars t may be secured to each of theposts, as may be desirable. The line-posts, which are next adjacent tothe gate-posts, are braced on their outer sides and directly in thefence-line, as

It will be understood that by means shown, and being connected to thegate-posts by the bars 25 the gate-posts are effectually braced and thebraces are entirely out of the way.

In the form of brace and anchoring devices shown in Figs. 8 and 9 thebrace-rods comprise each an upper section 26, a lower section 27, and aturnbuckle 28, connecting them together, the opposing ends of said`sections being reversely screw-threaded. The lower section 27 is splitand forked for a suitable distance from its lower end, and on the sameis a collar 29. By this construction of the lower section 27 the samemay be used in connection with a single anchor-bar 16, the ends of theforked arms of said section 27 being passed through openings in theanchor-bar and secured by keys 15, as hereinbefore described inconnection with the brace and anchoring devices shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The running-wires a of the fence may be connected together by stay-Wires30 and the latter attached to anchor-plates 31, which will be buried inline with the fence and disposed intermediate theline-posts.Inpracticethese anchor-plates will be made of iron or steel and of anysuitable size and shape.

It will be understood that my improved anchoring and bracing devices maybe used for other than fence purposes and that the various parts thereofmay be of any preferred form and may be made of any suitable size andmaterial.

I do not desire to limit myself to the use of my improved brace andanchoring devices in connection with fence and other posts, as it isobvious that the same may be used for anchoring other structures.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination of apost having sides arranged at an angle, said post being provided with asemi-annular neck concave in transverse section and presenting anexterior concave face, a brace rope or cable encircling the neck andcrossed at one side of the post, a thimble arranged on the crossedportions of the rope or cable and anchors connected with the rope orcable, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a post having a neck, a brace-rope encircling theneck and crossed on one side of the post, a thimble through which thecrossed portions of the rope are passed, anchors, and connectionsbetween the same and the brace-rope, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a post havinga neck, a brace rope or cableencircling the neck and crossed at one side ot' the post, a thimblearranged ou the crossed portions of the rope or cable, a pair ofanchors, approximately V- shaped anchor-rods secured at the outer endsof their sides to the anchors and provided at their apexes withinwardly-extending overlapping eyes, and with adjustable connec- IOO IIO

tions secured in the eyes of the anchor-rods in the space between theanchor-rods, snb- 1o and connected With the ends of the cable orstantiaily as described. rope, substantially as described. In testimonythat I `claim the foregoing as 4. The combination of a pair of anchors,my oWnI have hereto afxed'my signature in approximately V-shapedanchor-rods spaced the presence of'two Witnesses;

apart and provided at their apexes with ini JOHN HENRY I-IARBOLD.Wardly-extending laterally-disposed overlap- Witnesses: ping eyes, and abrace extending through the JOSEPH IIAMILL,

eyes and having an engaging element located 1 E. B; BROWN.

